To most people’s ears, “we brew high quality coffee” sounds like Starbuck’s brand and “we make innovative hardware and software” sounds like Apple’s. To a brand steward however, these statements sound like saying to a houseguest: “I washed my hands before making dinner.”
“Well, I should hope so!”
Branding your category promise is one of the most common pitfalls of brand creation. While it is certainly true that Starbucks makes quality coffee and Apple innovates like crazy, they also understand that that is NOT their brand. That is just the cost of entry in their category.
The small business landscape on the other hand is littered with "I should hope so" promises. If you can picture your customers answering your brand’s promise with the phrase “Well, I should hope so!” it may be time to rethink it. Here’s a conversation Howard Schulz had at my alma mater about building Starbucks into a global brand. It is well worth watching if you are stuck in your category promise.
“Well, I should hope so!”
Branding your category promise is one of the most common pitfalls of brand creation. While it is certainly true that Starbucks makes quality coffee and Apple innovates like crazy, they also understand that that is NOT their brand. That is just the cost of entry in their category.
The small business landscape on the other hand is littered with "I should hope so" promises. If you can picture your customers answering your brand’s promise with the phrase “Well, I should hope so!” it may be time to rethink it. Here’s a conversation Howard Schulz had at my alma mater about building Starbucks into a global brand. It is well worth watching if you are stuck in your category promise.
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